Chapter 22
Ashrian Vale POV
I’d seen a lot of castles in my time.
Burned a few, bled in a few, fucked in a few.
But this one?
Stormclaw Keep had power humming in the goddamn walls.
Alpha Draven led us through winding corridors of enchanted stone, each step echoing with the weight of legacy and dominance. Daxon flanked Elowen like a wolf shaped wall, and I trailed just behind, watching them both. Learning. Calculating. And silently trying not to lose my shit every time her scent caught on the air.
She was radiant.
And so fucking mine.
“I’ve had a wing prepared,” Alpha Draven said, stopping at a pair of heavy oak doors engraved with the Stormclaw crest. “Security wards have been doubled. No one gets in or out without my say–so.”
He looked right at me when he said that.
I inclined my head respectfully, though part of me bristled. I’d kept her safe from the inside of hell itself. But this wasn’t my house. Not
yet.
He pushed the doors open.
And Elowen gasped.
“Oh. My. Moon.”
The suite was obscene.
A massive vaulted ceiling. A bed big enough to host a supernatural orgy…ten people easy. Soft gray and silver bedding. Built in bookshelves, a hearth, and a wardrobe the size of a department store.
And the bathroom?
I could smell the lavender steam and goddess grade soap from the door.
Six sinks.
Two massive walk–in showers with runes carved into the tile.
A hot tub the size of a small pond.
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Elowen twirled, her hair lashing like mungi un m regular wolf.”
She turned to Alpha Draven, bouncing slightly on her toes. “You’re seriously letting me stay here?”
“I’m not letting you,” he said gruffly. “I’m insisting. You’re under my roof now. You’re pack. That means protected.”
Daxon stepped forward, jaw tight. “And I don’t trust Maria or Eron.”
Elowen froze. ME EITHER.”
He looked at her, eyes blazing. “Something’s off about them. I don’t like it. They were too quiet. Too careful. And when we left this morning, they were watching us like they were memorizing details for someone else.”
My chest rumbled. Not a full growl…but close.
“Agreed,” I said simply. “They knew too much and said too little. That’s a dangerous mix.”
Alpha Draven nodded. “We’ll investigate. Quietly. But for now, this is where you stay. You’re my guest. And my responsibility.”
Elowen blinked rapidly, emotion brimming behind those bright eyes.
She wasn’t used to people fighting for her.
But gods, she’d better get used to it.
Because now she had two mates.
And the war hadn’t even started yet.
Elowen POV
Daxon cupped my face with both hands, his thumb gently brushing along my cheekbone like I was made of something fragile and sacred.
“You good, baby?” he murmured, eyes locked on mine, voice low and thick with emotion,
I nodded, still breathless and flushed from everything that had just gone down, literally and figuratively,
He pressed a kiss to my forehead, then another to my lips, lingering just long enough to make my toes curl.
“I’m gonna go grab your stuff from Maria and Eron’s,” he said, pulling back slowly. “You shouldn’t go back there, not after everything. Not
alone. Not ever.”
His jaw ticked, and then, he looked past me. Right at Ashrian. The stare wasn’t hostile, but it sure as hell wasn’t soft. It was layered. Possessive. Protective. Alpha,
She’s mine too, that look said. Ash met his gaze and gave a single, respectful nod. A silent acknowledgment.
I know. I’ll protect her like she’s mine.
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12:00 Mon, Sep 22
Chapter 22
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Daxon kissed me once more, hard and fast. “Lock the damn door behind me,” he muttered, then turned and disappeared down the hall without another word.
on,
